Southern Area Command

Southern Area Command
Provisional RAAF area command boundaries, February 1940
Active	1940–53
Allegiance	Australia
Branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Role	Air defence Aerial reconnaissance Protection of adjacent sea lanes
Garrison/HQ	Melbourne
Engagements	World War II
Commanders
Notable commanders	Henry Wrigley (1940) Adrian Cole (1940–41) Frank Bladin (1941) Ian McLachlan (1944–45) Charles Eaton (1945) Allan Walters (1948–50) Alan Charlesworth (1951–53)

Southern Area Command was one of several geographically based commands raised by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II. It was formed in March 1940, and initially controlled units based in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and southern New South Wales. Headquartered at Melbourne, Southern Area Command was primarily responsible for air defence, aerial reconnaissance and protection of the sea lanes within its boundaries. From 1942 its operational responsibilities excluded New South Wales. The area continued to operate following the end of the war, before being re-formed in October 1953 as Training Command under the RAAF's new functional command-and-control system.

Prior to World War II, the Royal Australian Air Force was small enough for all its elements to be directly controlled by RAAF Headquarters in Melbourne. After war broke out in September 1939, the RAAF began to decentralise its command structure, commensurate with expected increases in manpower and units. Its initial move in this direction was to create Nos. 1 and 2 Groups to control units in Victoria and New South Wales, respectively. Then, between March 1940 and May 1941, the RAAF divided Australia and New Guinea into four geographically based command-and-control zones: Central Area, Southern Area, Western Area, and Northern Area. The roles of these area commands were air defence, protection of adjacent sea lanes, and aerial reconnaissance. Each was led by an Air Officer Commanding (AOC) responsible for the administration and operations of all air bases and units within his boundary.